Business in Hillsdale During COVID-19: Gordmans Department Store

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Business in Hillsdale During COVID-19: Gordmans Department Store
Gordmans is closing its doors Sept. 27. Courtesy | Joshua Newhook

Gordmans Department Store will officially close its doors on Sep. 27th. Gordmans, part of the now-bankrupt Stages Stores, offers off-price clothing, jewelry, and houseware items at its 280 West Carlton Road location adjacent to Kroger’s.

Store Manager Tina Reitz says sale markdowns at the already discount store are only increasing as the closing day arrives. “Everything is on sale 50-70% off currently,” she said.  “All has to go.”

The closing is part of the liquidation of Stage Stores after filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on May 11th. 595 stores closed on Aug. 29 and the rest of their locations will soon follow, leaving none remaining.

Surprisingly, this came after a massive opening of over 150 Gordmans across the country in 2019, including the Hillsdale location, which opened on September 17, 2019. At the time, Stage Stores’ goal was to have 700 Gordmans stores in 42 states by the end of 2020.

It is unclear if the Coronavirus had anything to do with the shutdown, but Reitz believes it has some part in it. 

“We speculated a little about the closing before the virus came,” Reitz said. “But COVID was the icing on the cake. It sealed the deal.”

The store was closed for a long time during the pandemic. “We closed at the end of March and were closed for about 3 months,” Supervisor Kiley Keser said.

With no buyouts on the table, workers at the store will be laid off after the closing. 

Reitz is uncertain about her plans after closing. 

“Maybe I’ll take some time off before starting a new job,” she said. 

But the loss extends beyond just workers. The townspeople will miss Gordmans as well.

Tami Brackman, who has periodically shopped at the store since its inception a year ago, is disappointed about its closing. “I’m very sad about it,” she said. “It’s a shame.”

When asked where she will shop instead, she didn’t have another location in mind. “Nowhere around here,” she said. “There is nowhere else like this around.”